Chapter 2, Verse 6
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः । यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥२-६॥
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ | yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ ||2-6||
Meaning
Nor do we know which is better for us — conquering them or being conquered by them. The sons of Dhritarashtra stand before us; after killing them, we would not wish to live.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Arjuna here reaches the nadir of his confusion: he does not know which outcome is preferable — victory or defeat. This is the clearest sign that his faculty of discernment (viveka) has been overwhelmed by emotional turbulence. A warrior who cannot determine whether winning is better than losing has lost the very foundation of his role.
This verse is important philosophically because it reveals the nature of existential crisis: it is not merely sadness or fear, but a collapse of the value hierarchy that normally guides decisions. Arjuna can no longer rank outcomes. Everything has become equally heavy or equally meaningless. This is the spiritual emergency that necessitates Krishna's teaching.
In contemporary life, this state is recognizable — the executive who cannot decide whether to fight for a company or let it fail, the parent unsure whether to intervene or step back, the person in crisis who cannot see a reason to prefer any outcome. Krishna's response is not to simply tell Arjuna which outcome is better, but to reframe the entire basis of decision-making. The solution to 'I don't know what is better' is not more information — it is a deeper understanding of the self and the nature of action.
💡 Key Takeaway
When confusion paralyzes all judgment, seek a fundamental reorientation of perspective rather than more data.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् । अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥२-२॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam | anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna ||2-2||
The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you at this critical moment? This is not befitting a man who knows what is valuable in life. It does not lead to higher planets but to infamy.
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥२-३॥
klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate | kṣudraṃ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||2-3||
Do not yield to this unmanliness, O Partha. It does not befit you. Shake off this faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies.
अर्जुन उवाच कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥२-४॥
arjuna uvāca kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana | iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana ||2-4||
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship, O destroyer of enemies?